I always said that fear keeps aviators alive. Fear prevents (Or goes some way towards preventing) people from doing things they really shouldn't. However, you need to have the necessary skills and experience to be able to react correctly when something frightening happens otherwise you panic or just cover your eyes and wait for it to stop (The latter can be quite and effective recovery technique in many aircraft!!)
I agree with what has been said earlier about the training emphasis being on preventing the situation developing in the first place. Typical non-aerobatic aircraft are stable enough that they don't roll over and die. When spinning for example there is a whole process to go through before the spin is properly developed. If you've let it get that far you have already ignored a whole host of very obvious warning signs and uncomfortable sensations so you're unlikely to know what to do to recover.
However, by virtue of being a glider pilot for many years I have a fair amount of experience in spinning, spiral dives etc. including excercises where you cover your eyes whilst the instructor initiates the manouver and then hands over to you to recover (With eyes open of course!!). Also demonstrations of an incorrect recovery actions and how to correct the mistake. Having explored the extremities of the aircraft's performance I feel confident enough to practise stalls/spins etc. every now and then just to remind myself what the sensations are like.
Although I wouldn't argue that any of this is strictly necessary for your average PPL pilot I am very glad to have the extra strings in my bow and would recomment it to anyone.
re Vne, I was always told it is much better to exceed Vne in a straight dive than pull hard on the controls to avoid the overspeed. At Vne you are already some way above Vmo so the likelyhood of something falling off when you pull hard on the stick is much higher.